How can you compare incomparable applications? Get out the CV selection grid!

Do you need to recruit your company's new sales director or next Java developer? Then you know that, whether you're a recruiter or a manager, you're embarking on a recruitment process of varying lengths!

After carefully drafting and posting the job advert, surprise: you receive dozens, even hundreds of CVs. Panic on board! How do you sort through all these CVs to find your dream candidate?

Now's the time to pull out your magic wand: the CV analysis grid.

Why use it, and above all, how do you use it? We take a look at this almost indispensable recruitment tool, and since we're sharing, we'll give you our template to download and personalise for a successful job interview!

See all software Recruiting

Why use the CV analysis grid?

To compare candidates more easily

The CV analysis grid is a good aid when you're at the stage of selecting the best candidates from the applications received.

As each candidate's background is unique, it's not always easy to compare candidates in order to select the ones you want to talk to to continue the recruitment process. One candidate will have the right degree, while the other will have significant experience with a competitor... it's a tough choice!

To remedy this, you can have your candidates take professional personality tests, such as the papi test!

Drawing up a skills reference framework for analysing and comparing different CVs will :

• give you a methodology for studying applications seriously,
• enables you to make an initial selection,
• to do it fairly quickly,
• compare CVs according to the criteria that are most relevant to you,
• create a benchmark for comparison throughout the recruitment process (involving several employees).

💡 You should know that using recruitment software can save you time in your selection work:

Integrating the impact of AI and automation into recruitment in 2025

In 2025, it will be impossible to ignore artificial intelligence and automated candidate selection. A high-quality, ultra-practical technical tool for evaluating certain criteria that facilitates the initial sorting process in the face of the large number of applicants.

Today, more and more employers are using an ATS (Applicant Tracking System) to filter profiles according to criteria and keywords. The result: interesting candidates are being overlooked. While AI is obviously efficient and fast, it is also as subtle as a recruiter on caffeine after 200 readings of CVs and cover letters in Word. 😅

Automation lacks nuance and misses out on professional potential. The key to success? The necessary balance at this stage. Use AI, yes... but never on its own! Using a skills grid completes the automated profile selection process. It takes into account soft skills, atypical experience and the coherence of the career path. This grading grid is your safeguard against missing out on hiring a nugget! ✅

Examples of recruitment innovations for 2025

Recruitment is no exception to technological innovation! Before the interview, they provide you with relevant information and help you to identify the right candidates for the job and the company. Here are a few examples:

• the automatic pre-interview video: a professional device for evaluating the body language and voice of a job applicant. Don't panic, we're not yet rejecting you because of a slightly tense smile.
• AI-based matching: some systems are turning into the Tinder of recruitment, or almost! They compare the CVs received by the recruiter with the profiles of the best-performing employees. Any similarities? Then the application is accepted.
• Predictive skills tests: we leave aside the list of fancy CVs, and use algorithms that directly assess your ability to do the job.

These are useful time-saving innovations, but nothing beats a selection grid to keep control of the process.

Example of a CV selection grid: downloadable template

So, are you convinced of the usefulness of the analysis grid? If so, we invite you to download our free template.

You'll find a grid that can be fully customised to suit your needs, if that isn't beautiful!

Here is an overview of the analysis grid:

If that doesn't help you select the best CVs, we don't know what will... 😏

How to use the CV analysis grid

Use our template to understand how to build your grid and use it to recruit like never before!

1. Define the selection criteria

This first step is probably the most important, because selecting the right criteria is the key to selecting the right CVs for the job, yes!

So you'll need to determine :

• Essential requirements. If the candidate does not have these, he or she cannot be retained to continue in the recruitment process. This could be a specific diploma, a command of a development language, a driving licence, etc.
• Essential skills. These are the most important skills for the job in question. These skills may have been acquired through training or work experience.
• Secondary skills. These are less essential to the performance of the job, but can score extra points if the candidate has mastered them. Mastery of these skills should add real value, for example a foreign language, mastery of software, etc.

2 Establish your grading scale

In our example, we propose a rating scale, but feel free to adapt the system to the specific characteristics of your company.

For example, you can either choose a weighted rating scale for each type of skill, or a common benchmark for each of the points. It's up to you!

3 Evaluate each CV

It's time to pick up your pen and work on analysing each application. For each criterion, give the score you think is most appropriate.

You won't miss a single detail!

4. do the sums

Once you've analysed each CV in terms of the criteria and skills for the job, you can add them up.

This way, despite a sometimes long list of criteria, you'll easily see which CVs have scored the most points. Easy, isn't it?

5. draw up the short list

There are two ways of creating this famous short list of successful candidates:

• interview all the candidates who have scored at or above a certain threshold,
• interview the top 5 candidates, for example.

There is no right or wrong method. It all depends on the type of job: the more applications you receive, the more demanding you can be.

6. Example applied to a job

Let's take a concrete example. Your company wants to compare the candidates who apply for its "digital communications manager" vacancy. The person you are going to offer the job to has to manage social networks, create different, impactful visuals and write articles that meet SEO requirements. So they need to be creative, responsive and proficient in working with networks and design tools. 📋

To make your choice easier and your recruitment more successful, draw up a model grid with the advantages and disadvantages of each candidate. Then take an overall look at this benchmark rating system to compare and analyse, without relying solely on your instinct to make your decision.

Define the criteria to be compared	Scale (score, number of points, percentage, etc.)	Candidate 1	Candidate 2	Candidate 3
Professional experience in digital communications (minimum 2 years)	30%	✓ (30%)	✓ (30%)	X (0%)
Proficiency in graphics tools	20%	Advanced (20%)	Intermediate (10%)	Advanced (20%)
Soft skills (creativity, responsiveness)	30%	High (30%)	Intermediate (15%)	High (30%)
Mastery of SEO and copywriting	20%	Good (15%)	Expert (20%)	Good (15%)
Total	100%	95%	75%	65%

With these weighted elements and the final score, you can assess which is the best candidate for the job in question:

• Candidate 1: has the most balanced profile and fits the job description well.

• Candidate 2: excellent at SEO, but not so good at creativity and tools. These are important criteria for the job in question.

• Candidate 3: this is the candidate who least meets the requirements of the first selection.

✅ The weighted results of the table will help you make your choice. However, nothing can replace the recruitment interview phase and your expert eye.

• You will certainly select candidate 1 and contact him to offer him a meeting. Just like on a dating website, first impressions can be misleading.
• Candidate 2, on the other hand, has an interesting profile that may be worth meeting at first. At interview, they may reveal unsuspected potential!
• On the other hand, compared to the other two, it may not be necessary to let candidate 3 reach the secondary stage.

See all software Recruiting

Summary of the CV selection grid

The CV selection grid makes it possible to analyse all the applications for a given position according to predefined criteria, so that they can be compared and the recruiter's work made easier.

What if recruitment became more attractive? Just imagine! Instead of sorting through 500 CVs by hand, the best candidates come to you spontaneously. The Holy Grail of recruitment processes! And that's what inbound recruiting is all about: creating an employer brand that is so strong that talented people will be lining up at your door. To achieve this feat:

• Build on an optimised, dynamic careers site.

• Present authentic employee testimonials to showcase your corporate culture.

• Offer engaging, hard-hitting content.

• Adopt consistent HR communications.

The result? Fewer irrelevant applications for the recruitment team, and more qualified and motivated candidates. Rather than looking for a needle in a haystack, attract the ones that shine! 🪩